Duffy Silk Building

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October 2012

December 24, 2014

December 24, 2014

December 25, 2014

December 25, 2014

January 2018
Photos by Mike Puma, WIVB, Chris Byrd, Chris Hawley, Christina Lincoln

Location

1270 Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14212
Google Bird's Eye View
Fillmore Council District
SBL: 112.22-3-4.1
Erie County Property Info
County Tax Map (loads GIS page)
City of Buffalo Parcel Viewer Across the Belt Line from A. Nowak and Son

Owner

1270 BROADWAY INC per propertyviewer
NYS Corporation and Business Entity Database

Physical Description

The 97,000 sq.ft., three story mill building is "U" shaped and faced entirely in red brick. The building is topped with a corbelled brick cornice that is present on all elevations.

Current Condition

Demolished. Vacant lot.

History

The eastern wing of the complex was the first to be built in 1905, followed by the western portion in 1912. The building was expanded multiple times towards the rear of the site from 1913 to 1950. It was designed by the prominent firm of Esenwein & Johnson.

Duffy Silk Co. built a total of three factories in Buffalo. The company produced a variety of silk goods and later moved into producing nylon products as silk became difficult and costly to acquire. It's reported that the company produced silk for parachutes during WWII.

Per a former employee, in the early 1970s the building was home to Davis Electric and a pre-cursor to FWS named Nothing Incorporated, a wholesale grocer and hardware store. In the mid to late 70's, FWS used it to sell furniture. Later the building was also used as a Fox Tire location.

Recent Events and Actions Taken

  • December 24, 2014 - Partial collapse due to a severe windstorm.
  • December 25, 2014 - Demolition of a significant portion of the east wing of the building
    • Per Mike Puma, Views of Buffalo: "According to the owner, the city did not notify her of the demolition and just began tearing it down, likely because it was classified as an emergency demolition.... The owner believes the city only plans to demolish the affected portion of the complex. ...The remaining west wing and central connector are in relatively good shape and still could be reused, should the entire complex not be demolished"

Other Pertinent Facts

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Added 2013-01-02 • Last changed 2020-01-08